| Param Vir Chakra | |
|---|---|
  Param Vir Chakra and its ribbon | |
| Type | Military award |
| Country |  India |
| Presented by | the President of India |
| Post-nominals | PVC |
| Status | Active |
| Established | 26 January 1950 |
| First awarded | 3 November 1947[a] |
| Last awarded | 7 July 1999 |
| Total | 21 |
| Total awarded posthumously | 14 |
| Total recipients | 21 |
| Precedence | |
| Equivalent |  Ashoka Chakra[b][3][4] |
| Next (lower) |  Padma Vibhushan[c] |
The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime.[5][6] Param Vir Chakra translates as the "Wheel of the Ultimate Brave", and the award is granted for "most conspicuous bravery in the presence of the enemy". As of January 2018[update], the medal has been awarded 21 times, of which 14 were posthumous and 16 arose from actions in Indo-Pakistani conflicts.[7][8] Of the 21 awardees, 20 have been from the Indian Army and one has been from the Indian Air Force. Major Somnath Sharma was the first recipient. A number of state governments of India as well as ministries of the central government provide allowances and rewards to recipients of the PVC (or their family members in case of the recipient's death).
The history of present-day Indian gallantry awards can be traced back to the rule of the East India Company, when the first formal award was instituted by Lord William Bentinck in 1834 as the Order of Merit, later renamed the Indian Order of Merit in 1902. During the First World War, the British awards system was adopted and continued through the Second World War. Post-independence, new awards were instituted on 26 January 1950, with retroactive effect from 15 August 1947. The PVC is equivalent to the Victoria Cross in the United Kingdom and the Medal of Honor in the United States.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
11 Facts You Need To Know About The Param Vir Chakrawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Awards Warb" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs (India). p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
- ^ Chakravorty 1995, p. 40.
- ^ "Precedence of Medals". Indian Army. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
govwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Higgins 2016, p. 42.
- ^ NCERT 2016, p. 11.
- ^ Priya Aurora (27 December 2013). "7 Facts Average Indian Doesn't Know About Param Vir Chakra". Topyaps. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
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